Trusted by 2,000+ IT & HR leaders in Microsoft-first organizations
Zensai transforms learning, engagement, and performance into impact right inside Microsoft 365. No disruption, just smarter ways to grow where your teams already work.
Succession planning software
that actually develops your talent
Map talent on a 9-box and close readiness gaps with AI-built learning paths, all inside Microsoft 365.
A 9-box grid names your successors. It doesn't develop them.
Most succession tools produce a grid once a year, then nothing happens. The names sit in their boxes, because the plan never connects to the goals and development plan that would actually move someone forward.
Set your people up for success with Zensai succession planning software
No switching between platforms. Performance, goals, and feedback run continuously inside Microsoft 365, connected to the learning that drives them. With AI coaching your managers and your team in complete control.
9-box talent mapping built in.
Map performance against potential on a 9-box grid. This is talent review software in the same platform as learning and performance, not a separate system to piece together.
Evidence, not intuition.
Every box draws on real performance and learning data, giving a live snapshot of who’s actually grown, not a manager's gut feel in a calibration meeting.
From potential to personalized plan.
A "ready in two years" rating becomes an actual plan. The readiness gap links to AI-developed learning paths, so succession develops successors instead of just labelling them.
Zensai leads succession planning with +90% user adoption
Most succession planning software ends up being a compromise. Zensai is different. HR, employees, managers, and IT each get what they need in one connected system. And because it’s built inside Microsoft 365, people actually use it.
CHRO / HR Leader
"I have a succession plan, but no confidence in it — I can't see if people are developing fast enough to be ready when we need them."
- Readiness grounded in real performance and learning data, with development plans that close the gaps.
- Answer the board on who's ready, who's on track, and where the risk is — with evidence, not a static grid.
HR Business Partner
“We do the 9-box exercise, then the grid sits in a deck until next year.”
- Talent maps connect to learning paths, so the plan turns into development between reviews.
- Readiness gaps surface against real data, so talent reviews start from evidence, not memory.
IT Leader & Security
“Not another talent system to roll out, integrate, and secure.”
- Built into the Microsoft 365 you already govern — no separate talent-review platform to stand up.
- Talent and people data stay inside your tenant, under the controls your team already runs.
Loved by users, trusted by leaders
See why more than 2,000 people leaders choose Zensai
We've moved from abstract conversations about performance to real data. For the first time, I'll be able to see 4,900 development goals across our people, in real time. That's huge.
Josh Briggs
Head of People Development, DAZN
Zensai makes it easy to stay aligned with what employees are working on, exchange feedback regularly, and encourage transparent, ongoing conversations that support growth.
Ingrid Dueck
Director Organizational Talent & Leadership Development, Kepner-Tregoe
We reached 99% goal entry across the company. That only happens when people see value in the process
Kaitlin Koehler
Senior Talent Development Specialist, First Business Bank
More ways to grow your people.
Use case – Skills management & skills gap analysis
Use case – Skills management & skills gap analysis
Learn365 was the differentiator because it was the only solution that integrated into the tool that we had grown accustomed to using - Microsoft Teams.
Randy Cruz
Director of Talent & Organizational Development
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FAQs
What is talent mapping?
Talent mapping is the practice of assessing people across the organization — typically performance against potential — to see who’s ready for bigger roles and where the gaps are. Zensai runs talent mapping inside Microsoft 365, including a 9-box grid, and connects it to the learning and performance data that shows who has actually grown.
What is a 9-box assessment?
A 9-box assessment (or 9-box talent assessment) plots each person on a grid of performance versus potential, giving nine cells from “low/low” to “high/high.” It’s a common talent-review tool for spotting future leaders and successors. In Zensai, each box links to real data and to development plans, so it drives action rather than just sorting people.
What are the benefits of succession planning software?
A clear view of bench strength and readiness, talent reviews grounded in evidence rather than intuition, and — critically — a direct line from the plan to the learning that closes skills gaps and develops successors, so “ready in two years” actually becomes ready. Plus workforce planning and internal mobility in the same place as learning.
How is this different from Cornerstone or TalentGuard?
Dedicated succession platforms run as a separate system you integrate and govern, and the talent map tends to be a standalone artifact. Zensai’s difference is connection: 9-box talent mapping, learning paths, performance, and skills live in one platform inside Microsoft 365 — so the plan develops people, and there’s no extra system for IT to secure.
Does the AI decide who's a successor?
No. People run the talent review and decide who the successors are. AI can suggest development steps to close a readiness gap — a starting point — but it never rates a person’s potential, scores them, or picks successors. A named job, with a human in control.
How does it connect to learning and development?
Directly. A readiness gap on the talent map links to learning paths and development plans, so a successor isn’t just identified — they’re developed. That connection between the 9-box and learning is the point, and it’s what a standalone grid can’t do.
Which edition includes succession planning?
Talent mapping (9-box) and succession planning are included in the Transform edition of the Zensai Platform — the full talent and engagement layer, alongside learning, performance, and the complete Human Success Score. Transform builds on the learning and performance capabilities in Grow and Scale.
Do we need to replace our HRIS?
No. Zensai reads org and people data from Entra ID and connects to 80+ HRIS systems, including Workday and SAP — so your talent maps reflect the real org structure and roles automatically, without replacing your system of record.
How do we keep the plan from going stale?
Because the talent map draws on live performance, learning, and goal data — and links to development plans people actually work on — readiness updates as people grow, instead of sitting frozen in a deck until next year’s review.